Improvement in heaters for railroad-cars



i 2 Sheets-Sheet 1, W. WESTLAKE.

.Car Heater. No. 36,044 Patented July 29, 1862.

L 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. WESTLAKE.

Car Heater. No. 36,044. Patented July 29,1862.

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UNITED STATES 1 PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM WESTLAKE, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN HEATERS FQR RAILROAD-CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 36,044, dated July 29,1862.

- and letters thereon.

My improvements relate to that class of heaters where air is heated anddistributed in pipes under the floor of the car, or in such other placeor position as it may be deemed best to have theair-heating pipes; andthe object of my improvements is to make ample provision for a supply ofair .to the heater in all conditions of motion or of rest of the car.

The drawings, forming part of this specification, show my improvements,Figure 1 being a section near a central line of the fuelchamber, theair-chamber, and the smoke and air pipes; Fig. 2 being a side view ofthe heater without a part of the smoke and air pipes; Fig. 3 being aview of a plate having a dial and knob of the grate-rod; Fig. 4 being aview of one of the valves used in the side air-pipes; Fig. 5 being aview, by transverse section, of the draft-door; Fig. 6 being aperspective view of the heater, and Fig. 7 a view, by longitudinalsection, of the wind-chamber, its valve and rod. In each of thesefigures, where like parts are shown, like letters and marks are used toindicate them.

This heater is intended to be placed underneath the car, and to beattached to the bottom of the car and supported by any suitable means,the air-heating pipes being placed under the floor or in any otherdesirable position. The heater may be attached near the center of thecar, having the draft-door on one side of the car and the smoke andcold-air pipes on the opposite side of the car. The fire or fuel box canbe of cylindrical form and lined with firebrick or soapstone, or of anydesirable form and not lined, and it and the base may be of cast-ironand most of the other parts and pieces of sheet or plate iron, or theentire heater may be of sheet or plate iron.

The fire-box a may be fed through the top I), or through a tube passingthrough the shell 0 and airspace d, as may be preferred. Such number ofair-conducting tubes may be attached to the shell and communicate withthe air-chamber as may be deemed necessary.

As is shown by Fig. l of the drawings, the smoke-pipe e, or the pipeconducting off the gaseous products of combustion, is surrounded by thecold-air pipe f. This air-pipe f has a wind-chamber with a mouth, 9, ateach end. Within this chamber is a valve, h, which can be moved upon itsspindle 2'. Bars at each mouth support the valve-spindle, and a wire orslight flange, j, at each end of the windchamber checks the furthermotion of the valve and form with it a close joint. When the car is inmotion, this valve h will rest against one or the other of these flangesj, and thus form the closed end of the wind-chamber, while the other endwill be open for the passage of the air down the pipe and into theairspace d. The cold-air pipe is provided with a dust-collector, 70,having holes in its sides for allowing air to pass through it. Thisdustcollector should be about half full of water, and so connected tothe pipe that it can conveniently be removed for cleaning it. Whateverdust or sparks are brought down the air pipe with the current of airwill find their way into this collector through the passage Z.

When the car is in motion, the cold air will pass down the pipe f andinto the air-space (1 through the spaces m, being deflected against thehottest part of the fire-box by the lips 41.. In order to furnish air tothe air-space d and to the pipe f,-that the smoke-pipe may not get toohot when the car is at rest, short pipes 0 are affixed to each side ofpipe f, as shown, and a swinging damper, q, is attached near to thebottom of pipe f and below the pipes 0. Pipes 0 have double flap orbutterfly valves p, (shown fully by Fig. 4,) which close the mouths ofthese pipes when the car is in motion, they then being forced to theirseats by the downward current of air in pipe f. When the car is not inmotion, the heat from the smoke will produce an upward current and theair will then come in through the pipes 0, the valves then opening, andthus the smoke-pipe will be cooled. This coming in of air through pipes0 at the resting of the car is favored by the action of the swingingdamper g. It will be seen that this damper has a vane, r, which, by acurved plate, 8, is controlled in its upward movement, the tendency ofwhich vane is to keep the damper to the mouth t when the car is inmotion, and by the slide-plate 00, this plate and the door beingperforated, as is usual with such drafthole plates. This plate 00 hasattached to its bottom edge an oval-shaped mouth-piece, y, into whichfits the end of rod 2'. Rod 2 is pivoted at its rear end, 2. At aboutthe middle of its length it is embraced by the end of another rod orbar, y. Into an eye on the outer end of bar y the end of a crank .12fits, the crank being affixed to a rod, w, the lower end of which has abearing, o, in which it rests, and the upper end thereof has anindicator, u, with a countersunk dial-plate, t. This dialplate, beingwithin the car, allows of the indicators being used to operate theslide-plate m to control the draft, while the indicator will show theposition of the plate. It will readily be perceived that through and bymeans of the rods and the crank here named the slideplate :0 can bemoved in either direction to increase or lessen the draft, as may berequired.

Before the draft slide-plate x is a blower or double flap-plate, s,centrally pivoted at 1", as is shown by Fig. 5, and having a guide-framein which it moves. When the car is in motion, one of the flaps or platesof this blower will be down upon its seat, while the other will be openand against its outer guide-bar, and thus the air will have admission tothe grate and fire-box. The position of the flaps or plates will be dueto the line of motion of the car.

The space below the grate (the ash-pit 'v) is contracted, and the grateq should be tipped forward when dumped. To prevent its being tippedbackward a foot, pf, is cast with or attached to the grate. The gratemay be shaken from the inside of the car, the shaft or axle 0 of thegrate having attached to it a crank, n,

which is connected to a spring-ended rod, m.

This rod on passes upward, as is shown, and has its knob, Z, countersunkin the plate It. The knob can readily be seized and the grate operated.The spring-platej of the rod caneasily be detached from its pin 13 andmoved to one side and the rod detached from the crank, thus allowing ofthe dumping of the grate.

It will be perceived that the fuel may be fed to the fire-box of thisheater, the draftdoor be controlled, and the grate be operated from theinterior of the car.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The Wind-chamber 9, having the valve h, with its spindle i andfiangesj, in combination with the air-pipe f, constructed and operatedas described.

'2. The swinging damper q and the pipes 0 with the valves 1;, incombination with the air-pipe f and'air-space d and the smokepipe 6, asand for the purposes described.

8. The lips n for deflecting the air against the fire-box, as set forth.

4. The arrangement of the means or devices for operating the draftslide-plate a: from the interior of the car, as set forth.

This specification signed this 3d day of February, 1862. WILLIAMWESTLAKE.

WVitnesses:

WALTER LAIDLAW, CHAS. O. COTTON.

